A Delhi University (DU) student was severely injured Tuesday when a light stand came crashing down on him while he was modelling during a fashion show at Deshbandhu College. An FIR was later registered against the organisers in connection with the incident.

Utkarsh Dahiya (22), from Aurobindo College, was rushed to Fortis Hospital in Noida. He suffered a fracture in his left leg, dislocated a bone in his nose, and sustained injuries on his mouth and forehead.

Principal of Deshbandhu College Ajay Arora said the mishap was “unfortunate”. “For such a big event, we outsource the logistical arrangements to an event management company so the college was not directly involved in this aspect. All regular safety checks were in place so we don’t know how it happened. It was an unfortunate accident but it could have happened anywhere,” he said.

The incident occurred at about noon. Dahiya was performing with other students as part of the college’s annual fest ‘Sabrang’. Dahiya walked to the head of the ramp, and was turning back when the stand fell.

Dahiya lost consciousness. “I have no memory of the incident at all. The last thing I remember is putting on make-up for the fashion show in the morning at Deshbandhu College. The next thing I remember is being taken to hospital in a car,” he said.

Vaishanvi Bhatt, a student of Aurobindo College who was also present on stage, said, “He was walking towards the back of the stage where we were all standing, when we saw the light stand about to fall. We shouted out to alert him but the lights fell on him.”